Cliff'd Out in Snowbird

This story, written by Marc T. is presented  on AspenSpin un-edited....everyone survived, please don't call social services.

Snowbird. Click to enlarge.Peak Experience on Defiance Ledge

It was a bluebird day at The Bird, the last of four consecutive ski days with my son Jason. On top of a thirteen foot base, it had dumped a foot the previous day and there was not a single run closure. I had never seen Snowbird with such ideal spring conditions.  For an eleven year old sea-level kid from San Diego, California, Jason is a very good skier while still lacking experience that can only be obtained from millions of turns in a variety of conditions. Displaying a fearless tenacity the previous three days on such legendary touchstones as Great Scott, High Baldy, Jaws and Mach Schnell, he had already conquered many runs that more experienced skiers view with trepidation.

Riding up Gadzoom we saw dozens of skiers in the high distance traversing along the Road To Provo toward the top of Gad 2 chair, which was closed for the season. We jumped on Little Cloud to the 11,000 foot Hidden Peak, banged a right, and 15 minutes later arrived at the top of Gad 2 chair amongst many other hounds in search of remaining powder. Our plan was to ski out the Red Lens Line (Knucklehead Traverse), heading west through the trees, and then down into glades with guaranteed powder into Thunder Bowl. I had been through this “in bounds terrain with an out-of-bounds vibe” many times and felt comfortable that it was within Jason’s ability. The ski patroller at the top of Gad 2 had recommended looking for a way down in the shade since it was pretty warm and the eastern facing slopes were set-up with avalanche potential. As we glided along the Knucklehead traverse, the path through the increasingly dense trees narrowed with a diminishing margin of error separating us from vertiginous drops on the right side, the type of situation where one little mistake carried scary consequences. I was starting to realize it had been a bad idea to bring Jason in there, especially after a skier in front of us yelled “don’t look down.” But it was way too late to turn back.

Father and son taming Ajax Mountain in Aspen.Other skiers started dropping off into sun-baked glades while we continued searching for a more northern-facing slope. At last we got to the western boundary rope, a spot I had never been to in all my years skiing Snowbird. There it was, the perfectly shaded untracked chute. I told Jason to go first knowing that if he fell, and especially if he lost a ski, it would be much easier if I didn’t have to hike up to bail him out. Sure enough, a few turns down he took a spill in some deep snow and was pretty dug in and twisted around. I released the binding of his stuck ski, packed down a semi-horizontal area on the steep slope and snapped his ski back on, concluding with a hopeful request to “please don’t fall again.”

I followed behind Jason for another several hundred vertical feet of fluff down Boundary Bowl when I noticed he had stopped a few turns below me on a 45 degree slope. And a few turns below the only traverse track. My heart skipped a few beats when I heard his little voice say “Dad, I think it’s a cliff” to which I instantly thought “oh shit” but instinctively replied “ok, you have to climb back up.” After trying a few times to take one small step uphill, only to slide further back down toward the cliff, I realized there was no way he would be able to hike up. Taking his skis off would be even more dangerous. Just as I was contemplating skiing down to him, he said “I might be able to get through but don’t come down here, there’s no way your (longer) skis will fit.” It was too steep for me to see what was below him, other than the vertical nothingness indicative of a huge cliff. He couldn’t see immediately below him from where he was either, triggering the unwritten rule of “don’t ski what you can’t see” or “don’t go if you don’t know.” So I told him to stay put while I quickly pondered our dilemma.

Since hiking up was not an option for him, we had two choices. Either I could ski down to him against his advice and try to figure things out from there, at least suffering our fate together. Or I could hold my position and call for help. Having been cliffed-out myself multiple times over the years, each time swearing to myself “never again,” I took what I thought was the more conservative approach. I called 911 who connected me through the police to Snowbird Ski Patrol. Describing our remote location as best I could, they were able to get our GPS coordinates from my cell phone, and the ski patrol confidently said one of their best rescue guys was on his way with ropes and more. As I kept telling Jason not to budge, my mind was racing with scary scenarios and guilt-ridden thoughts. Luckily it was before noon, help was on the way, and he seemed to be handling the situation remarkably well.

Suddenly two skiers appeared above us out of nowhere, extreme locals as it turned out. Still on my cell with ski patrol and afraid they’d unload a pile of snow on top of him, I yelled “don’t ski there, my son’s stuck on the cliff below.” Staying left of Jason’s fall line, the first guy swooped down to him, dug in, and literally lifted him uphill a few feet up the cliff, flipping him over so his skis were wedged into a small tree, just to the skier’s left of the cliffs. Trying to calm my evident fear, he half-jokingly said “he probably wouldn’t have died,” to which I retorted “that’s comforting.” Then the local realized he was in a pretty bad position himself, but through an acrobatic maneuver he was able to get up and away from the cliff. Still not knowing what was next, I was unsure whether I should stop this possible hero from helping further since the patroller would presumably be with us in 10-15 minutes. It didn’t seem right though to interrupt a deus ex machina midstream, and the next thing I knew the rescuer had disappeared above the cliff band through some small trees with Jason closely behind saying “I can do that,” followed a couple minutes later by hearing him far below yell “Dad, I’m ok.”

With an enormous sigh of relief, the revelation hit me that the bracing sensation of safety can trump even the sweet smell of success. The other local and I skied further across the Knucklehead (Red Lens) Traverse line comfortably above the cliffs, before dropping into Defiance Ledge and then meeting up with Jason in Figure Eight Gully far below. With my sense of profound relief still peaking, I looked up and finally saw the gigantic cliff where Jason had been perched while contemplating the magnitude of the bullet we had just dodged. The ski patroller, whom I had already called right after Jason escaped the imminent danger, was now above the cliffs looking down at us. As I stared at Jason with the infinity of love, he intuitively sensed my heartfelt relief and said “Dad, we made it, let’s enjoy the powder on the rest of this run.”

Fully cognizant that luck had been on our side, we thoroughly reveled in the remainder of the glorious day, with even monumental runs like Dalton’s Draw seeming tame in comparison. Neither of us could stop talking or thinking about what we’d just experienced, and we agreed on a set of future lessons including: don’t get cliffed-out again, know when to rely on the kindness of strangers,  don’t ski below a remote steep traverse line unless you know what lurks below and, above all, don’t panic in the face of danger. An epic day had broadened into a lifetime experience.

MarcT
April 2011

Pushing the envelope. Ski posse; Marc T. and Jason.

Travels with Carmie.

The Last Run in Aspen. Click 4 pix.Aspen is sooooo awesome.  It's da bomb.  That's why we rarely go past the round-a-bout during the Winter  and ski season.  Between Thanksgiving and the end of April we  pretty much stay put.  We're happy to crib it right in town and walk to work (Ajax) every day.  2010/11 was a great season, 106 ski days.   Each year cabin fever begins to set in right around tax day and we begin to plot our escape.

Click 4 Pix  TRAVELS with CARMIE

It's good to spend time outside the bubble once in a while.  We like to gain new perspectives.  That's why AspenSpin is returning to La Jolla, California and Windansea Beach for a second summer.  We scored a great, dog-friendly beach front apartment in the same complex as last year.  We love the Pacific Ocean...and its an especially great paring with the Rocky Mountains.  Surf and Turf....its not a meal...its a life-style.

The Scenic RouteWe took the scenic route to San Diego.  We don't need no map quest, bro.  we have an old fashioned road atlas.  We created the most direct route, almost a straight line to SD travelling in a S. Westerly direction.  This is what we came up with. 82 W (40 miles) to I-70 W (150 miles) to 128 S (40 AWESOME miles) to Moab where we motel camped.  Day 2, 191 S. into the Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation and Az. to 163 S. to Flagstaff, then scenic 89 S. through Sedona to Prescott, Az.  (about 400 miles in total).  89 S. out of Prescott offered an incredible switchback to SR 71 S, to Rte 60 W to Rte 95 S  (about 250 miles)to Yuma where we picked up I-8 for the final 150 miles into San Diego.  We drove fast, we stopped often and we saw some super-diverse and scenic areas.

Feet in the sand.No speeding tickets, 6 bags of cheetos and about 8 diet cokes later, Carmelo and I climbed the final few miles over Mt. Soledad into La Jolla.  With our first glimpse of the Pacific, the dog went wild, she started sniffing like crazy,  sticking her nose out the window, doing circles in her compact spot in the back seat.  She knew exactly where we were.  A few more miles and we were home. We parked and hit the beach immediately.  Carmelo was freaking.  She was running around the beach like she was possessed, jumping in the water, getting wet and enjoying life.

Its good to be back in La Jolla. 

The Mounment Valley. Navajo Nation, Northern Az.

After 1025 miles, Carmelo enjoyed the beach. Click 4 pix. Windnsea. La Jolla, Ca.

Aspen Legal

How much would you pay to see your worst enemy shake with anger, squirm in court and lie under oath?  Turns out it only cost $1200.

We got to "live the dream" yesterday as our adversary and former landlord, a wealthy, argumentative, prune-faced old lady and her dimwitted third husband did all of the above  at the Pitkin County Courthouse.   The Judge handled the simple but emotionally charged tenant/ landlord dispute with aplomb.

Moving Day after 5 Years. Click 2 enlargeAspenSpin used to HQ in a cute little miners cabin by the river in Oklahoma Flats.  Built around 1900, its small, private, secluded with a yard, 500 feet of frontage on the river and a view of Ajax. For 5 ski seasons starting in 05/06 ending in 09/10 (last year) we called it home. Of historical significance; Little River Cabin was the birthplace of AspenSpin and a former brothel. The pint-sized but super-sweet lot may have fetched as much as $5 mil at the peak of the real estate market in 07.  The tiny 2 bedroom, 2 bath house is a complete tear down--no question about that.  As you may recall, A-Spin has a very well behaved dog and lots of ski gear.  Each Fall, just after labor day,  we'd move into the little cabin by the river and move out at the end of April. The owner would occupy it in the summer. We paid well in excess of $100,000 in rent over the 5 seasons.  It was expensive, the house was a dump.....but it was within walking distance of Ajax and we we loved it.

Artist Rendering.The owner/ landlord is a poor little rich girl (old lady) called Denni Riker, a prominent business woman on the front range.   Her Daddy bought up a whole bunch of property in Aspen in the 50's during the quiet years.  Denni and her clan receive the rent checks from one of the most valuable, most high profile retail buildings in Aspen, which has a cost basis of "two bottles of whiskey". She controls several properties in town. She's known around Aspen as a hard nosed biatch. She's had several well documented conflicts with neighbors around Oklahoma Flats as well as some controversial run-ins with Aspen City Hall and City Planners.  As neighborhood legend has it Denni would steal plants from her neighbors, at night, and re-plant them in her own garden (hearsay, not admissible).  Remember when a certain someone was running for Mayor and gave a false address in order to qualify for the election.  Who do you think the owner of that false address is?  (objection, irrelevant). Some people  just don't think the rules apply to them. She's a very sad old lady, a hag if you will.  One well known neighbor described her this way: "She's like a tar baby---u don't want to touch her".

After 5 years of tenancy, A-Spin must have somehow rubbed Denni the wrong way.  It was "all good" for the first 4 years.  We paid the rent, Denni stayed in Denver.  It was the 5th year where things went awry.  A "simple" remodel of the premise by the owner led to construction nightmares for the tenant, repeated unlawful entries by the landlord and her agents,  threatening e-mails, hand delivered nasty grams and general ill will.  AspenSpin was under siege from a 70+ year old lady  WTF?  We simply wanted to pay the rent and live the dream. It seemed like Denni  wanted us to suffer for her problems.

Artist RenderingYada, Yada, Yada.  He said / She said.  Verbal sparring with "the dufus" her hubby, Wally.  The whole conflict led to a lawsuit in small claims court.  Trial by ambush.  Denni was seeking several thousand dollars in damages to her house.  Damages that just didn't exist in real life. More bickering occurred...this time in front of a judge.   It all came down to the carpeting.  Denni claimed the carpet was ruined (not true) and  she claimed it was new in 09 (not true). It was the same carpet that had been there since 05. Our defense of "normal wear and tear" over a 5 year period was countered by a bold faced lie about the age and value of the carpet.  In reality the damages were minimal. Throw in a few other miscellaneous charges (yes, i did put a 3 inch scratch in the floor and  yes, i did put one nail in the wall)   Yada, Yada, Yada.  One year later,  a court summons and three special round trip rides from Denver for Denni and Wally leading to a full-on trial ---bada bing, bada bong.......$1200.  $500 (really?) for the scratch and the nail,  $600 (really?) for the carpet cleaning and repairing plus $100 in fees. 

A. Party went sans lawyer so the costs to play DEEEE-Fense were minimal.  My case was clear, concise and well documented with photos.  Most of Denni's claims were shot down and the judge scolded her on several occasions.  When she started to shake, turn red and spout harshities in my direction it was worth the $1200 just to see it live.  If Wally would have keeled over in court, I wouldn't have been the one to dial 911. So take your 1200 bucks Denni.  Run, run, run across the street to the bank. Deposit that check ASAP.  Keep your 30 staplers and your 6 wheel barrels and your stolen shovel collection and your broken fax machine from 1985 and your 40 year old chairs and your pilfired shrubs and stick 'em up your tight surgically modified A$$.

Note: Tenant, expecting a battle escrowed enough rent to cover the security deposit, therefore the $1200 was a reasonable witholding over 5 years.  Waaaaaaaaay less than claimed by Landlord.

If you're reading this Denni, and I know that you are.  I hope you're happy.  I hope that the $1200 satisfies the void in you and your desire to inflict pain on anyone who doesn't cede to your wishes.  Was it worth it? a scratched floor? a, nail hole? and a big fat lie about your sh*tty carpet. The hate?  the animosity?  the private investigator? the unlawful entries?  P.S. my dog is a way better person than you are.  Sure, I would have preferred to pay nada, but that $1200 won't even cover my bar bill at the club. You were spanked.

#winning.  Who's your daddy?

 The House is a dump, the landlord a "psycho", the view and the setting....amazing.We trashed the place. See that stain in the carpet? $600. It was worth it.

The Final Spin

The Final Spin. Aspen Closing DayAnother super-epic ski season in Aspen, Colorado is officially etched in the tablets of time.  2010/11 will go down in the scrolls as a very good year.  While not fantastic (think 07/08), the snow was pretty consistent all year.  We did score plenty of late season POW that had the locals calling for more.  Today, Easter Sunday was Aspen's official closing day.  The Power of Four is shutting it down after 150 days of fun.  Aspen Highlands played host to the now traditional raging party to cap off the season.   Over the past 5 years the Aspen Highlands Rave has become the #1 party in skiing.  You could argue with A-Spin about that--but you would be wrong. 

Click 4 PIX.  THE FINAL SPIN

It been a wild 5 year ride at AspenSpin. BIG fun was experienced.   Everyone has their own definition of "living the dream", but Aspen Spin has been willing to document and share ours on the internet.  A-Spin is the real deal, it's authentic.  You can't fake skiing every day and partying every night. We could bore you with stats, but what for?  After 5 years of pointing, shooting and posting we now measure our hits in the millions.  We've collected more t-shirts, stickers and chapstick than anyone in captivity.  We have the maximum number of facebook friends, we hit every single POW Day and we were the first to tweet in Aspen.  WTF? Who knew.

Everyone is media now.  Anbody with an i-phone thinks they are John Cameron Swayze.   Photos  <click> are now so easy to share <click>.  A-Spin was just a little ahead of the curve.  It's unclear what's next for us.  Another summer in La Jolla for sure.  Next Fall....dunno?  We'll probably be back for more, but we will need DOG-FRIENDLY housing and that always presents a problem.  Aspen landlords are a funky bunch, greed and paranoia about their sh*tty condos from 1965 make them tough to deal with.  Owning a sh*tty condo from 1965?---thats one option, but "no thanks" even at the current "discounted" prices.  Migrating down-valley?? Traffic jams and road rage---thats in our past.  We'll see what shakes out.

Until we meet again, THANK YOU ASPEN for being AWESOME.  Stay that way.  The POW, the PIX and the PEOPLE have made Aspen a great place to be for 8 years (5 with A-Spin).  Aspen is the "Capital of Skiing". The natural beauty, the open space, the bedazzling Rocky Mountains of Colorado combine to make the entire Roaring Fork Valley a special place; to be treasured. 

To all our people, the spinners; have a fantastic Summer....we'll see ya on-line...or off. 

Click 4 Pix.  The Final Spin.

A.Party / OUT

  

 

 

Squirm Night in Aspen...a non event.

Say what you want about Aspen politics, or we'll say it for you...its boring.   Squirm Night 2011 was basically a non-event.   6 candidates vying for 2 city council seats had their chance to perform in front of the media, the public and a live TV audience.  Run-on questions were followed by run-on answers with very few salient points made.  It always seems like the same faces on the dais and in the audience which leads to very few "new ideas" being discussed.  Board memberships, meetings, studies and hypothetical questions were debated for 2 minutes at a time.  It really doesn't matter who gets elected, its going to be same ol' same ol' in Aspen politics.  Lots of talk and lots of ill will.  We'll go on record to endorse Steve Skadron for re-election.  He works hard, he has the city's best interest at heart and he deserves to continue, although why he would want to is beyond comprehension.  As for the other seat on city council... pick 'em.  All 5 of the other candidates seem to have a real desire to get involved, they all love Aspen...but none of the others distinguished themselves so you pick'em.

As for the Mayorial candidates.  Andrew Kole...no comment, why bother.  Ruth Kruger...she seems a little loose on the details, not a good starting point.   Mick Ireland appears poised to retain his position of Mayor of Aspen.  Mick gets a bad rap---his impatience gets in his way---but he's doing the best he can.  The "pro business" crowd that wants bring him down has lost sight of what should be a primary goal of all Aspen residents---to enjoy a beautiful day.

We thought Squirm Night would result in a packed house.  On the contrary plenty of seats were available. Squirm Night appears to be a microcosm for Aspen politics.  All talk.

The 6 Candidates vying for 2 city council seats. You pick 'em.

Mayorial Candidates....are we having fun yet?